Hurts So Good
by Poppyseed
Summary: Craig is forced to deal with death of his father and the haunting memories of his mother. Takes place after Season 2.
1. One Thing Leads to Another

**A/N:** This story takes place the summer after Craig's dad died (I don't think they dealt with it enough). Not to give away the story, but I always thought that Craig fit the profile best...read on to see what I mean!

And, in case you were wondering, I own nothing (but wish I did).

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_She cowered in the corner, and begged him to stop. "Please, no more. Please…"_

_He was powerless to do anything about it. He could only watch in horror. He couldn't stand to see her suffering and just couldn't be silent anymore. "Stop it!!" He yelled out before he could stop himself._

_Before he knew it the dark figure was rushing towards him, fists raised._

"NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" Craig Manning sat straight up in his bed, drenched in sweat, his heart racing. Another nightmare. He had had one every night since his dad died. The dreams were always the same: sometimes Craig dreamt that he was in the car with his dad on the night of his accident, other times he simply relived the times his dad had beat him. Tonight was the worst though. Tonight it was about his mother.

"Craig, are you okay?" Joey Jeremiah had been awoken by Craig's screams.

"What's wrong with Craig?" Angela had apparently been woken up by the scream, too.

"I'm okay Ang. Just a bad dream." He reached out to give her a hug. "It's okay."

She grimaced. "I have bad dreams sometimes too."

"Come on Ang, let's get back to bed." Joey led Angela towards the door. He paused and turned around. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Craig nodded. "I'm fine. Thanks Joey."

Joey shut the door as the two left the room. Craig leaned his head against the wall. He wasn't fine. He hadn't slept in days. The nightmares were getting worse, and no matter what he tried he could never get back to sleep after having one. He glanced at his alarm clock, 3:17 am. He sighed. He waited until he was sure Joey and Ang had fallen back to sleep and then crept downstairs.

He poured himself a glass of milk, turned the TV on low, and flipped through the channels. He needed to get his mind off that dream.

"Craig?"

He jumped, startled that anyone else was awake. His foot connected with the milk glass that he had set on the coffee table. It caught the corner of the table and shattered to the ground, spilling milk everywhere. "Geez Joey, you scared the crap out of me!"

"Why aren't you in bed?"

He fetched a towel and a dustpan from the kitchen. "I couldn't sleep." He started to clean up the mess he had made.

"Craig," Joey started, "Craig, forget about that for a minute. We need to talk."

Craig just went on cleaning the floor. "I want to get this milk cleaned up. I don't want it to set into the carpet."

"You can get it later. Let's talk first." Joey sat down at the kitchen table and motioned for Craig to do the same.

Reluctantly, he stopped scrubbing the carpet and sat down next to Joey.

"What's going on with you man?"

"What do you mean?"

"You haven't been yourself lately. You've been having nightmares-"

"I'm fine."

Joey looked unsure. "Maybe you need to talk to someone."

Craig laughed nervously. "Joey, I'm not crazy. I'm just having some nightmares. I'm fine." He shook his head, knowing what Joey was going to say next. "I just came down here for a drink. I'm gonna clean up my mess and go to bed. I'm fine. I am."

"Alright, but I'm here if you want to talk."

He nodded. "Thanks, but I'm fine."

Joey stood up and headed back upstairs. "Just clean up and then back to bed, okay?"

"Mmhmm." Craig had already gone back to cleaning. He waited until he heard Joey's bedroom door close, and then leaned back against the couch. The more he tried to convince others that he was fine, the more he was starting to believe it. He could deal with this. He knew he could.

_'I better get this mess cleaned up before Joey comes back down and wants to talk some more,'_ he thought. As he was picking up the glass, a shard caught his finger and, before he knew it, he was bleeding. _'Great,' _he thought,_ 'just my luck.'_ He finished cleaning and went upstairs to get a band aid. His night couldn't possibly get worse.


	2. Secret Pain

**A/N:** I usually update stories in the order that I start them (neurotic I know), but this one was gnawing at me more than It's Raining Again (but I hope to have an update on that one in a day or two). Enjoy!

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It was nearly 7 am and Craig still hadn't slept. He wanted more than anything to go back downstairs and watch TV, to take his mind off the nightmares, but he knew he couldn't risk Joey finding him again. Instead, he had been forced to deal with the piercing silence that let his mind wander. 

It wasn't long before he heard Joey get up for work. Craig had agreed to help Joey at the car lot this summer. He was hoping that he might be able to get a car by summer's end though Joey had only raised his eyebrows and said "We'll see," when Craig had mentioned the idea.

Slowly, Craig peeled himself out of bed. He didn't understand how he could be so tired yet so incapable of sleeping. He felt terrible. He almost regretted agreeing to work for Joey, but then decided that it was for the best. He could use the distraction.

By the time Craig was showered and dressed, Joey had already dropped Ang off at her grandmother's. Joey had arranged for Angela to spend some time away from home this summer. He told Craig it was because his mom never got to spend enough time with her only granddaughter, but Craig suspected Joey wanted time alone with Craig. Joey hadn't been so accepting of Craig's excuses about his nightmares and Craig feared a summer full of questioning and "serious talks." It was more than he could deal with right now.

Craig grabbed the first clean outfit from his closet that he could find, and joined Joey in the kitchen for breakfast.

"Hey Craiggers, how are you?" Joey was tending to the eggs he was cooking and didn't turn around at the sound of his stepson entering the kitchen.

Craig flinched at the nickname his dad had always used for him. "Don't call me that," his voice was more tense than he had intended.

"Sorry, man," Joey turned around. "Did you sleep at all last night? You look terrible."

Craig knew it was true. The dark circles had been looming under his eyes for weeks. His skin was pale and he knew he showed signs of exhaustion. He wondered how much longer Joey would let this continue before he forced him to see a counselor.

"Craig?"

He had forgotten that Joey asked him a question. "Yah, a bit," he lied.

Joey seemed skeptical. "Maybe you should rest today. You can start at the car lot tomorrow. It's no big deal."

He shook his head. "No, I'm fine, really. I just need some breakfast." He forced a smile at Joey that wasn't returned. "Really, Joey, I'm fine."

Joey just nodded and went back to his eggs. He didn't know what to believe anymore.

Just as Craig had hoped, the car lot turned out to be a good distraction. Joey had Craig washing cars, running errands, and making phone calls. The morning had gone by quickly, and before Craig knew it, Joey was asking him to take a lunch break.

"Come on Craig. Let's go grab a bite. I know a great little place just down the street."

Craig wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of alone time with Joey, but what could he say? He nodded, and reluctantly followed Joey to the restaurant.

Joey picked out a booth near the back and, by the time the burgers arrived, had already launched into the first, of what Craig feared were to be many, heartfelt discussions.

"I'm just worried about you Craig. You haven't been sleeping well at all."

"Joey I'm fine. It's just some nightmares." He laughed nervously. "Guess maybe I shouldn't watch all those horror movies."

"Is that what they're about?" He asked skeptically, "horror movies?"

Until that moment, Joey hadn't ever asked what Craig's nightmares were about. Though Craig knew the question had to be asked eventually, he wasn't anymore prepared for it.

Craig clamped his free hand on the edge of his seat. The cut from the night before throbbed from the pressure he was applying. He closed his eyes and focused on the pain for a moment. It surprised him how much it relaxed him. He eased his grip and opened his eyes. Joey was staring at him, waiting for an answer.

"Yah. Sometimes. It's different things." He squeezed his hand again until he felt the familiar throbbing. "Can't we talk about something else?"

Joey nodded, but was reluctant to change the subject. "Sure Craig." He smiled, and the two ate in awkward silence for the rest of the lunch hour.

That night, after Craig had managed to make it through his first day at the car lot, he couldn't stop thinking about how the pain of his little cut had helped him make it through the day. All afternoon, whenever he felt pressured, he just gave it a squeeze and his body relaxed. Craig had never known that pain could be relaxing. It seemed unnatural, but in a way, Craig felt he had found a secret. Something that only he knew about. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with his secret. Nothing yet. But it was nice to know it was there if he needed it.


End file.
